Why?
by Jemerald Goldie
Summary: We all have emotions. Hiro gets deep in thought when he asks himself hurtful yet innocent questions: Why was he so different? Why did all the kids his age dislike him? Why was he a superhero? Why couldn't he be just a normal kid? Why? Why? Why?
1. 1

Hiro perked up as he saw a soccer ball fly above his head, bouncing away in the green grass. Blinking, he jumped when a kid around his age ran past, turning the ball back into the field with the other kids. Sitting down on a park bench, Hiro watched curiously as the boys kicked the soccer ball around, trying to get it in the opposite goal than their own. He felt a tug of longingness to join them; soccer was his favorite sport, and he didn't have very many- - scratch that, he had _no_ friends around his age. Probably because he was a fourteen year old nerd in college.

He continued to watch the scene before him as one of the boys shot the ball into a goal, letting out a victorious cheer and throwing his arms in the air, running around and high-fiving his teammates. The opposite team snorted in disgust, trying to come up with an excuse. "You cheated,"

The kid who scored looked at them like that was the stupidest statement in the world. "That makes no sense whatsoever. I kicked the ball in and scored; you're just jealous of my skills,"

"Am not!" The boy shouted, standing up straight.

Hiro frowned as he saw the group get into an argument. It didn't take long for the push and shove to come along, closely following after the threats becoming promises. He gulped as he saw how close they were to killing each other, and decided it would be a good time to step in.

"Hey."

The boys stopped and turned to look at him, blank expressions on their faces as they stared at him.

Hiro froze, scolding himself for not thinking ahead of time of what the heck he was going to do. "Uh… hi," He tried, smiling. When no one responded he continued. "My name's Hiro… I noticed you guys playing soccer, and… would you like another… team member?"

"Aren't you that kid who I see going to SFIT every day?" A kid asked, looking thoughtful.

"SFIT? No way, that's a college," Another snorted.

Hiro sheepishly grinned. "Uh, yeah, that would be me,"

The boys turned away from him, giving him glares and icy stares. "Get lost, nerd,"

Frowning, Hiro watched them go, feeling a pang of loneliness. What made him so different? Apparently being intelligent was a bad thing. Slowly spinning around, he trudged away, trying to ignore the jibes he got as he went.

 _That's okay. I got my own friends._ He brightened at this; Gogo, Wasabi, Honey Lemon and Fred never pointed out his flaws. They were true friends, not like a bunch of bullish boys. They always had his back.

Then again, they were all five to six years older than him; they didn't always understand him. Also, even though it was summer, they were in college throughout the whole year, which meant they were busy all the time now; because Hiro took summer off, he couldn't hang around them during those few months as often as usual. They also didn't exactly have the same likeness as a regular fourteen year old boy usually would; him compared to them were totally different.

 _Am I being selfish?_ Hiro couldn't tell. He sometimes couldn't even understand himself. Along with the fact that he didn't have any friends his age, his mind also crossed the thought and questioned him of being a superhero. Why did he have to be the hero? At those rare dark times he hated being the one to have to jump in and keep San Fransokyo safe. But those dark times weren't so rare anymore; he thought of it more and more often as the days flew by. _Why_ was he the superhero? _Why_ couldn't he be a regular teenage boy who did nothing more dangerous than try impressing a girl? _Why_ did he have to be responsible for keeping an entire city safe? _Why? Why? Why?!_ It was overwhelming. He was afraid he couldn't take it anymore. Keeping the secret of being a superhero from his Aunt was even more stressful. Hiro knew she'd find out eventually, but he couldn't offer the risk of sharing her in on it. What if she made him not be one anymore because it might be too dangerous? Would he accept that or fight for it? He didn't know which way was better.

Hiro swore if he thought over this anymore his head would explode. Pushing away those thoughts, he looked up to realize it was close to dusk. _I'd better go home before I stay out past Curfew again…_ Sighing, he made his way back to the café, his mind full of questions that would never be answered.

 _Why can't I be normal?_

 **A/N: Sequel?**


	2. 2

A week had passed since Hiro's thoughts took control of his emotions. The day after, he had been feeling much better, if not almost normal. But his friends were still gone at SFIT. They weren't coming out for a while. And the other kids he met in the field would completely ignore him now.

 _Bored. Bored. Bored. Bored._ He had repeated that word in his head so many times that it had no meaning to him anymore. Slouching forward in his desk chair by his computer, Hiro had his chin resting in his arms, eyes half open. You would expect something that he could think of doing; he didn't usually _get_ bored. That's probably because of all the bot fights he used to book for.

Desperate to find something to do, he began to slide around on the chair, digging through drawers and desks. Hiro pulled out a book at the bottom of a drawer he hadn't opened in years.

 _What's this?_ Curious now, he dusted off the cover and flipped through the first page.

"Entry #1, July 26th, 2001." He read aloud, frowning as he realized that date was the date of his birth. Now even more curious, he continued reading in his mind, the handwriting a bit sloppy.

" _This is the day that my new baby brother has come! I'm so excited! I've always wanted a younger brother, and now I have one. We're going to do so much together, when he gets bigger. We'll be best buddies through it all. We'll never leave each other and never fight._

 _"Mama and dad already picked out a name. I helped them, too! He's named Hiro, which means abundant and prosperous. Those are big words, and they mean big things. Hiro and I, we're going to make the future. We'll make the world a better place. Together."_

Hiro paused. It was obvious to him that Tadashi had written this, when he was five, due to the date. He didn't really remember anything about his older brother when they were that young, so he felt an urge to read on. A slab of guilt struck him as he turned several pages forward, but he pushed it away. _I'm sure Tadashi wouldn't mind…_

 _"Entry #17, February 9th, 2003. Ever since I started going to school again, Hiro had been begging me to stay home with him. I guess he doesn't like being the only kid in the house! But I know mom and dad will take care of him, and he'll be just fine. He's been following me around a lot, too. It's kind of annoying sometimes, especially when I'm around my friends. But, I still love him, and I always will!_

 _"I walked to school today, and when I was halfway there I realized Hiro had followed me! I had to take him back home, so I was late for class. Thankfully Miss Harte believed my explanation, so I didn't get in trouble. But I have to be careful next time, she said."_

Letting out a small laugh, Hiro knew from partial memory and stories that he had basically idolized Tadashi. He didn't remember almost getting him into trouble for it, though. He was impressed that Tadashi didn't get mad at him for doing it, too. _My brother really was something._

 _"Entry #39, November 30th, 2004. I hardly feel like writing today. My parents died in a car crash a few days ago. I miss them so much. But at least I have Hiro still. I need to stay strong for the both of us. He's been crying in the middle of the night a lot. I have to be there to comfort him and protect him._

 _"Aunt Cass is taking care of us now. She's very nice, but she's not mom or dad. I'll never forget them. I wonder if Hiro will remember them when he gets older. I hope he does, so we can share our memories."_

Sighing, Hiro just noticed his eyes were watering up. Blinking the tears away, he was tempted to close the book. He _didn't_ remember his parents. He remembered nothing of them, not even what they looked like, though he's seen pictures.

A new tug made him go on.

 _"Entry #67, September 5th, 2007. School is starting again. My aunt and I have noticed that he's been learning fast, and before I knew it he was four grades ahead! I'm so proud of Hiro. But, at the same time, I honestly feel a bit… jealous. I mean, I'm older, so shouldn't I be smarter? It's not fair._

 _"Shut up, Tadashi; he's your brother. What am I saying? Of course I'm proud of him. I love Hiro, and I only wish the best for him. The nice thing is everyone in his current grade isn't jealous of him or anything; they think it's cute, so I don't need to worry."_

 _"Entry #82, September 10th, 2010. I am so angry right now. Not at Hiro, at the people who did what happened to Hiro. He got bullied at school today! He got a black eye and everything! For goodness sakes, he's only 9! I want so badly to teach whoever did that to him a lesson. But I don't want to get into trouble. Aunt Cass would be so disappointed in me if I did, and I don't know what Hiro would say._

 _"He's okay now; Aunt Cass took care of his bruises. I had to carry him home, it was that bad. If those cocky 8th graders think it's funny to beat up my little brother, they'll be thinking again. I can't believe any of the school staff and teachers did nothing about it, either. It's like they don't care at all. Well, I care, and I always will. Next time, I'll protect him, so he doesn't have to be afraid. If those bullies so much as touch a single hair on Hiro's head, they'll regret ever hurting him."_

 _"Entry #106, May 30th, 2014. Hiro graduated High School today. I couldn't be any happier for him. Aunt Cass and I are both so proud! He looked a bit funny in the graduation suit, due to him being so short. Aunt Cass called it cute; I called it funny; Hiro called it an embarrassment to the Hamada family. Of course he's being sarcastic, but I corrected him anyways saying he's one of the most gifted of us. I'm sure he'll grow taller soon; he's always been small._

 _"I've joined a college a few months ago called San Fransokyo Institute of Technology, or SFIT. It's a pretty nice place; lots of sweet tech, and the most advanced college in the world. I'm so glad I'll be attending there this summer. Hiro calls it a 'nerd lab,' which I find funny. But at the same time I wonder: would he ever grow to want to go there with me as well? He surely could be able to get in; after all, he's the smartest kid I know. I would love to work alongside him in SFIT. We could create the greatest things in the world to make it a better place. We could change the world. But I don't think he's that interested; he's just… well, being a thirteen year old boy. I'm sure time will change him."_

When Hiro tried flipping through the next page, he realized it was the last one in the journal. Swallowing, he scanned the words thoroughly, having a feeling he knew what it'd say.

 _"Entry #107, August 18, 2014. I found out recently that Hiro has been botfighting. I don't know what to say. Botfighting is illegal! If Hiro's not careful, he could get arrested. He obviously doesn't seem to care when I tell him that; he just rambles about how fun it is and how he gets so much money out of it. It's dangerous; any thugs out there could want revenge and hurt him badly. I have to stop him._

 _"In fact, we just got home from me saving his sorry butt again for the millionth time from angry creeps. I've tried lecturing him again, but he doesn't listen. He just wants to go out botfighting again. Why can't he see it's dangerous? I'm going to try to get him to join SFIT. That'd be good for him. Then I wouldn't have to worry anymore."_

That was the last of the Journal. Slowly inhaling and exhaling, Hiro for the first time knew what Tadashi had felt before about him. He wasn't overprotective; Tadashi just loved Hiro so much that he didn't want to leave him out of his sight. And now that Tadashi was gone… did Hiro just take him for granted?

 _I've been so stupid._ About to close the book, a glimpse of red caught Hiro's eye before he shut it fully. Hesitating, he flipped the last page over to see the end cover. On it was writing in red ink, Tadashi's handwriting. Immediately Hiro read it, desperate to catch everything he could from his deceased brother.

 _"Dear Hiro,_

 _"I won't be around forever. So if you're reading this, I want to let you know that I love you, and I'll always be with you no matter what happens. I remember when we were younger that all the other kids in your school would judge for whom you were and ignored your presence. That used to kill your spirits. And even if they don't anymore, I wanted to let you know that you are who you want to be. Don't let anyone knock you down. Just be yourself. If they despise you, they don't know what they're missing out on. You're someone special, kid, and you always will be. I'm leaving Baymax for you, so he can remind you of this whenever you're down when I can't. When others hate, show them who you really are. Don't turn on them with returned hatred; that just digs a hole for yourself. Same as feeling sorry for yourself for being different. I know what you're thinking; 'different is just a nice way of saying I'm pitiful and hated.' It isn't. And I'm being completely honest when I say this: you can still change the world. With or without me, you can do it, buddy. I know you can help so many people. I love you, otouto."_

 _"- Tadashi Hamada"_

Hiro read this over and over again. He had a small smile on his face as he did so. His brother knew him so well, that even when he wasn't around he knew what he felt. Sniffing, he grinned at the words. "Thank you, Tadashi," He whispered, slowly and carefully shutting the book.


End file.
